【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】2004–2024: The World’s First 5,000-ton/year Vinyl Polyolefin Elastomer (E-POE) Production Project
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Safety first. Prevention first. Let’s give a thumbs up and encouragement to the achievements made by China’s chemical technology and equipment industry. ********************** [Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Equipment] This is a continuously updated summary thread; everyone is welcome to join the discussion: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Forum) ***************** On November 18, Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group (hereinafter referred to as “Dongming Petrochemical”) successfully completed the world’s first 5,000-ton/year ethylene-based polyolefin elastomer (E-POE) project. The facility is now ready for trial production, marking a major breakthrough for China in breaking foreign monopolies on POE technology. https://p3-sign.toutiaoimg.com/tos-cn-i-axegupay5k/69d42d59c48c44239f112d823593b382~noop.image?_iz=58558&from=article.pc_detail&lk3s=953192f4&x-expires=1732852294&x-signature=IB3IcP7ispHM32Z4kQ3fXXfRxaw%3D https://p3-sign.toutiaoimg.com/tos-cn-i-6w9my0ksvp/f3ee584e55cd4f7d90f18641b43f5ea3~noop.image?_iz=58558&from=article.pc_detail&lk3s=953192f4&x-expires=1732852294&x-signature=%2FOxm%2F3ClluVyoJ%2FelFl3hrc1Rcg%3D This project was jointly developed by Dongming Petrochemical and Zhongke Kele. Relying on teams led by Professor Chen Changle from the School of Chemistry and Materials Science at the University of Science and Technology of China, it uses ethylene as the sole raw material; with the aid of a self-developed nickel-based catalyst, polyolefin elastomers are produced directly. This breakthrough has helped overcome foreign restrictions on China’s access to high-carbon α-olefins such as octene. Compared to foreign POE technologies, the E-POE technology developed by Dongming Petrochemical does not require costly high-carbon alpha-olefins. It simplifies the production process, eliminates the need for auxiliary equipment construction, thereby reducing costs and risks. Moreover, its products exhibit excellent performance and are widely used in various fields such as automotive parts, photovoltaic encapsulants, and seals. This technology thus brings significant economic and social benefits. It is worth noting that on November 16, the multi-functional pilot plant for solution polymerization at the Tianjin Scientific Experiment Base of the Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry was successfully put into operation. The plant utilizes self-developed solution polymerization technology and catalysts to produce a new type of vinyl elastomer, namely E-POE. For more details: Sinopec’s pilot plant for high-end new materials has been successfully put into operation!
Overview of E-POE: Vinyl polyolefin elastomer (E-POE) is a material that can be produced using only ethylene as a raw material, without the need for high-carbon α-olefin monomers such as 1-octene. It possesses excellent properties and holds broad application prospects. Take toughened polypropylene as an example: when using E-POE, only one-third of the amount currently used for polyolefin elastomers on the market is required to achieve the same toughening effect. Its cost-effectiveness far surpasses that of existing polyolefin elastomers. The first group in China to engage in E-POE development was the research team led by Professor Chen Changle from the University of Science and Technology of China. Professor Chen is the founder and actual controller of Hefei Zhongke Kele. Established in August 2022, Zhongke Kele primarily focuses on research and the industrial application of technologies in the polyolefin sector. Its products include polyolefin elastomers, photovoltaic encapsulation materials, cycloolefin copolymers, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Zhongke Kele’s unique E-POE technology utilizes a nickel-based catalyst developed entirely in-house. Using ethylene as the sole raw material, this process enables the production of POE with domestically produced additives and conventional polymerization equipment and processes. This significantly reduces production costs and operational risks associated with the equipment. The performance of the resulting product has been verified through testing by numerous manufacturers of photovoltaic encapsulants and automotive modified materials; all indicators are comparable to or even superior to those of mainstream imported products.
Zhongke Keler’s E-POE production plan: On September 20, 2024, Beijing Zhonghai Jihui Technology signed an agreement with Anqing High-Tech Zone to establish a production facility for E-POE materials with an annual capacity of 100,000 tons. This project is the second E-POE project jointly developed by Zhongke Keler. In February 2024, Zhongke Keler completed a Pre-A round of financing worth hundreds of millions of yuan, with Jinsa Capital and Xianghe Capital leading the investment. In July 2023, Sinochem Kelong signed an EPCM contract with Beijing Petrochemical Corporation, marking the commencement of the actual engineering design phase for the demonstration plant producing tens of thousands of tons of vinyl polyethylene elastomer. Subsequently, in January 2024, the project received environmental impact assessment approval from the Ecological Environment Bureau of the High-Tech Zone in Hefei, Anhui Province. Once completed, the facility will primarily produce polyolefin elastomers, which can meet the demands for photovoltaic encapsulation films, polypropylene toughening, and the recycling and modification of mixed plastics, thereby enabling complete domestic production of high-end polyolefins.
What is the future market for E-POE? From the perspective of downstream demand, E-POE materials can be used to produce polyolefin elastomers suitable for toughening polypropylene, use in photovoltaic encapsulation films, and for enhancing the properties of recycled mixed plastics. Particularly in the photovoltaic industry, with the growing market share of N-type batteries, the demand for POE particles—as a key alternative material for photovoltaic encapsulants—is becoming increasingly evident. Therefore, driven by China’s competitive industries, new downstream demands such as those in the photovoltaic sector are expected to help domestic chemical manufacturers usher in a new era of domestic substitution. Related reading: Two departments issue a notice! Can domestically produced PoE gain momentum? Additionally, vinyl polyethylene elastomer features low production costs and excellent product properties, offering broad application prospects in numerous fields such as photovoltaic encapsulation, automotive manufacturing, aerospace, wire and cable production, and construction engineering. In terms of production capacity, China largely relies on imports for POE products. Since 2023, domestic production capacity has increased by 230,000 tons (200,000 tons per year at Wanhua Chemical and 30,000 tons per year at Jingbo Petrochemical). Currently, there are projects under construction or planned that will add over 4 million tons of capacity. However, according to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, from 2017 to 2023, China’s imports increased from 224,400 tons to 860,000 tons, with a compound annual growth rate exceeding 25%. From a policy perspective, the “14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Raw Materials Industry,” jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments, emphasizes that the petrochemical industry should promote the research and development of high-end polyolefin products such as metallocene-based polymers ； The China National Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation also stated in the “14th Five-Year Development Guidelines for the New Chemical Materials Industry” that efforts should be focused on enhancing the domestic production capacity of high-end polyolefin plastics. In this context, the successful completion of the E-POE project will effectively advance the localization process of POE, meet market demands, and promote industrial development.
【Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】2007–2024: Commissioning of the multi-functional solution polymerization pilot plant at the Tianjin Scientific Experiment Base of Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-5673652-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Forum [Haichuan.com])
【Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Equipment】From 2009 to 2024, China manufactured the world’s first large-scale solid-state hydrogen storage equipment, which was exported overseas. https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-5673663-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Forum [Haichuan.com])